November 18 - A record-breaking movement of India's longest column transported by sea and land on Indian soil has taken place, claims Indian heavylift company, Lift & Shift India.

Lift & Shift India has handled the movement of equipment for the ONGC Petro addition Ltd. (OPaL), project ofSamsung Engineering in consortium with Linde (Germany), a naptha and gas dual feed ethylene cracker unit and associated plant worth approximately USD 1.43 billion.

More than 2,000 tonnes of equipment was moved during the operation. A 125 m, 1,350 tonne column was moved in conjunction with a 13 m diameter fractionater weighing 1,000 tonnes. The column required a 64-axle SPMT, while the fractionater was transported on a 48-axle SPMT.

The 125 m column was transported to Mumbai on a vessel belonging to Jumbo Shipping and carried by barge to Dahej, near Bharuch, a distance of 190 nautical miles in 36 hours.

A ro-ro facility had to be constructed with permission from Indian Customs and other government bodies at which the barge was berthed during low tide.

The final transport was only one kilometre by road but included 180 degree and two 90 degree turns.